Procrit second shot in thigh, shots suck in that area, what am I doing wrong?

I hate giving shots in my thigh. It's hard to push the needle in and it hurts. Any suggestions/ideas on where exactly I can give it? I taken peg-intron shots rotated (4 times a month) in my stomach so I am running out of places. Also loosing weight so the fat is not available as much.

[desrt]

Are you using the side of your leg? If so you may be hitting the sciactic nerve. I made that mistake until it was explained to me to use the top of the leg.

[GrandOak]

Part of the pain you feel could be a result of the size of needle you use.  I stick with the same 27 gauge needle as my inteferon which are also 1/2 inch long.  These are commonly known as diabetic needles too.

You could try the inner thigh area, towards the back.  That's an area where most fat accumulates.  If it hurts, particularily a burning sensation, then you more likely are going intermuscular (IM) instead of SQ.  IM injections also feel more like a cramp afterwards too.

Another thing to try is to angle the syringe more towards your skin when you inject.  Depending upon the size and length of the needle you use, you may need a longer needle if you do this.

[susan400]

I used a super small needle, that you could twist off the needle and replace it with a clean one(after you'd pierced the vial cap).  I think when you go through that cap it dulls the needle. Anyhow, I got a TB sized needle.  It was a 27G, 1/2", B-D TB needle.  I got that off of the wrapper.  Anyway, I had a hard time with my thighs at first.  Once I figured out where the right spots were, I got pretty good at the injections.  I really had less pain doing the shots in my belly though.

Susan

[jmjm530]

Here's a pretty decent injection site map. http://janis7hepc.com/treatment_help.htm#h

Note the diagram suggests outer thigh, not inner.

Personally, I never liked the thigh area -- especially for injecting Procrit -- but then again, not much fat there for me. Eventually, I quit the thigh altogether and used the abdomen and love handle areas per diagram. Got six different injection sites that way.

Whatever area you use, part of the problem with injecting Procrit is that the needle gets dulled when penetrating the rubber stopper on top of the Procrit vial. That can make for a more difficult and painful injection. What I did was to use two needles. One to draw out the Procrit. And then a second to inject. Made a huge difference in how easily the needle went in.

The system I used was the B-D Luer Lok System. The needles come off the barrels easily, just make sure to order twice the number of needles as barrels. Also, you might want to practice changing needles once without the Procrit. To best of memory, I used the 3/8 " needle as opposed to a 1/2" needle. I believe this is the same length needle used with the Pegasys pre-filled syringes. Not 100% sure so do check with pharmicist and/or drug manufacturer. Forgot the gauge, but a similar gauge used with insulin should be fine. Any angle between 90 and 45 degrees should work. One NP demonstrated at 90 degrees (straight in) and another suggested what looked like a 20 degree angle (very shallow entry). I guess different sticks for different hicks :)

Good luck!

-- Jim

[desrt]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this. The study I was thinking of was an Italian one from over a year ago: overall SVR w/12 weeks tx for type 2 80%, for type 3 66%
It can be found at www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2005/ad/062405_a.html

[settecasi1]

Hi,

I used various spots on my upper outside legs because I did not want to risk the injection site rash on my abdomen.
I believe you may be going about it wrong. You are supposed to pinch the skin away from your muscle a bit and go in at an angle.
I was instructed not inject directly into the muscle.
"Pinch an inch" so to speak. Did not the doctors office give you an instructional video?

[jmjm530]

Also low pre-tx viral load appears to be helpful although not sure if a requirement. Personally, I'd go for the short-course if I didn't have too much liver damage because if it didn't work I still have some breathing room. Conversly, if I had significant liver damage I'd probably go for the full course to play it safe. Until a standard is established with more data, this gets to be a very personal decision with advocates on both sides.

[desrt]

I've heard that European strains of type 1 are easier to SVR than N. American types. I've often wondered if the same holds true for their type 2 and 3. Thus the difference in study results.

[jmjm530]

I believe now there are four different studies on the short course now for geno 2's and 3's. Not sure how many were in Europe or here. You might try some googling, adress the question to some geno 2's like "Goofydad", or spend some time on the Clincal Options Web Site. I believe it's all covered in one of the modules by Dr. Douglas Dieterich, but not 100% sure. Free registration required:
http://www.clinicaloptions.com/Hepatitis.aspx

[jmjm530]

There's a related thread by "MadMick" about seven threads down. Recently discussion on these "short course" studies emphasized being non-detectible at week 4, weight basing ribavirin, and excluding those with cirrhosis. One of our members, "Rifleman" completed the 12-week course for Peg Intron and is now SVR. The study noted uses Peg Intron. The Pegasys "short course" is 16 weeks.

[bobbyullc]

i read hep c came from viet nam "conflict" so all strains could be different??? there are many studies to show shorter tx can work. mostly if 4 week und. i chose 45 weeks and only HOPE it was the correct choice. pray for vx 950.
bobby

[NYgirl]

Remember to go SLOWLY or stop and start stop and start.  The Procrit DOES burn going in...I let mine warm up a little bit before I inject and that seems to help too.

Then I just jam the needle in and stop and start and stop and start the whole way through.  Nobody said that syringes didn't hurt but the magic of the Procrits effects SURE make it worth it.


Try to just keep that in your mind - it's TOTALLY worth it!